Enriched‐Air Gasification of Refuse‐Derived Fuel in a Fluidized Bed: Effect of Gasifying Conditions and Bed Materials

Enriched‐air gasification of refuse‐derived fuel (RDF) was carried out in a fluidized bed, investigating the effects of temperature, equivalence ratio (ER), oxygen percentage of enriched air (OP), and bed materials. For the bed material effect, calcined dolomite proved to be more effective for tar decomposition and resulted in higher CO and H2 contents. In a bed of high‐alumina bauxite, an increased ER tended to cause a greater decrease in syngas quality. For both bed materials, a higher temperature and OP favored the production of combustible gas and led to higher cold gas efficiency. Increasing the ER resulted in higher gas yields and carbon conversion but lowered the concentration of the combustible component. The ash content of the char increased with temperature and OP, while the volatile and fixed carbon contents were decreased. The optimum conditions suggested in this study were an ER of 0.22 and an OP of 44.7 % at 750–800 °C in a bed of calcined dolomite.